Pikmin area generator file/File format

This page describes the format of the object generator files in Pikmin. These files have the file ending .gen. Generators handle the spawning of objects, such as pellets or enemies, in the levels. Each such object is spawned by a generator.

File header

Offset	Type	Description
0x0	char[4]	a 4 byte string saying v1.0, presumably the version of the format or the version of the file
0x4	float	unknown[unsure]
0x8	float	unknown[unsure]
0xC	float	unknown[unsure]
0x10	float	unknown[unsure]
0x14	uint32	an unsigned integer specifying the amount of generators in the file

Directly after the integer specifying the amount of generators follow the generators themselves. The format of each generator is explained in the following table.

Generator format

Offset	Type	Description
0x0	char[4]	Four spaces, presumably the name of the generator base that is used in all object types
0x4	char[4]	version string, usually v0.0
0x8	uint32	unknown[unsure]
0xC	uint32	unknown[unsure]
0x10	uint8[32]	32 bytes of data. unknown[unsure]
0x30	float[3]	XYZ position of object
0x3C	float[3]	unknown[unsure]
0x48	char[4]	4 byte string specifying the type of the object. Type name is reversed
0x4C	char[4]/uint32	version string. For Teki, this is a little endian integer with unknown purposes. For bosses it can be a version string or a little endian integer.
0x50	uint8[...]	Variable amount of data depending on type of object

There is one exception to the format. If the object type is full of zero bytes then the object has no object-specific data and no version string and the data skips right to area and spawn type data.

Object types

Object name	Description
piki	Pikmin
debg	Debug object unknown[unsure]
item	Item
pelt	Pellet
work	Work object unknown[unsure]
plnt	Plant
mpar	Map Parts
teki	Enemies
boss	Boss
mobj	Map object
navi	unknown[unsure]
actr	Actor unknown[unsure]

Data formats for each object type. Offsets are relative to the end of the general generator data, see above for the generator format.

"item" format

Offset	Type	Description
0x00	uint32	String length (in the following offsets the string length will be "n")
0x04	string	Name of object
0x04+n	uint8[32]	32 bytes of data
0x24+n	uint8[32]	32 bytes of data

Todo: other objects

Parameters: Objects have a list of parameters starting after the object specific data. Each parameter name is three characters (e.g. p00, p01, ...) followed by one byte that seems to have the size of the parameter value, usually 4. After each parameter name comes a 4 byte integer which is the value of the parameter. The end of the parameter list is signaled by the value 0xFFFFFFFF (-1 as a signed 32 bit integer).

Area info: After the object parameters comes the area data. There's two types of area: "pint" (Point Area) and "circ" (Circle Area). The area type is followed by a 4 byte string stating a version, always v0.0. After the version come three floats (Maybe XYZ offset? unsure^[unsure]). Areas can have parameters, see above for the parameter format. Point areas are more likely to have no parameters (their parameter list ends instantly with -1 as a signed integer), circle areas are more likely to have one parameter (Maybe radius? unsure^[unsure]).

Type info: After the area info comes type info which can be one of "1one", "aton" or "irnd", with 1one being type One, aton being type At Once and irnd being type Init Rand (probably random unsure^[unsure]). The 4 byte string is followed by a version, always v0.0. The type info has no specific data but it does have parameters, see above for the parameter format.